Lubricating device



Nov. 7, 1939. A. 'Y. DODGE ET AL LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l i I 7' 2 T3.

6 INVENTORJ. AD/EL V0000 .HA RR Y R TEAR #30114 ORNEYS.

Nov. 7, 1939.

IllhiI A. Y. DODGE El AL 2,178,851

LUBRICATING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1936 MK; .--37 fl 25 43 1 T0 23 J7 1 46 rip/EL ii i302;

ARRY E X4 BYmC AR 7 E- A'I-TUKNEYS.

Nov. 7, 1939.

A. Y. DODGE El AL I LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 s. s 3mm on M Ma m ma #1 x wm L Mm fim .Y B m No v. 7, 1939. I A. Y. DODGE ET AL LUBRICAT ING DEVI CE Filed Sept. 19, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 MN 1 D NW mw T k W -vv )r$:r L \m mNn k hm vb INVENTORS.

A0154 Y 000a: HARRY A? T549 Patented Nov. 7, 1939 LUBRICATING DEVICE Adiel Y. Dodge, South Bend, Ind., and Harry B.

Tear, Evanston, Ill., assignors tion Corporation, Chicago, Ill.,

of Delaware to The Lubricaa corporation I Application September 19, 1936, Serial No. 101,572

9 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating devices and more particularly to portable power-operated lubricant dispensers or guns. Portable power-operated lubricant dispensers tricity for power which is conducted to the dispenser through suitable flexible conduits or wires,

the lubricant'being conducted to the dispenser from a reservoir through a similar flexible tube or conduit. Such conduits or-wires have interfered with the portability of these dispensers, serving to limit the distance through which they can be moved and otherwise impeding free handling thereof by an operator. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a self-contained portable lubricant dispenser in which no connection to an outside source of power or source of lubricant supply is necessary during use and which consequently is freely portable throughout any desired distance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable dispenser in which motive fluid may be stored.

Another object is to provide novel control means for controlling operation of the fluid motor which operates a lubricant pump.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an axial section with parts in elevation of a lubricant dispenser embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view looking from the right ggofFigurel;

Figure 3 is a partial section on the line 111-411 of Figure 2; i

Figure 4 is a partial section similar to Figure 3 showing another position. I

m Figure 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 6;

Figure 6 is a section on Figure '7 is an axial section of a modified form 5 of the invention;

Figure 8 is an end view looking from the right of Figure 7;

the line VI'-VI of Figure 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of F u 50 Figure 10 isa partial section on the line X-X ofFigure9; t Figure 11 is a central, section of a further modifled form ofthe invention;

Figure 12 is an end view looking from 5; of Figure 11; and 4 have been proposed using compressed air or elec-' the right cap 3. The head 2 supports tending axially into the reservoir l and a the tube 4 to limit the movement in one direction-of the piston 5 The head 3 carries a valved air inlet 9 for supplying air to the air chamber 1 and a lubricant nipple II is secured to the head 15 2 through which lubricant may be supplied to the chamber 6.

The head 2 carries a bracket l2 which serves .as the support for one end of a hollow tubular handle [3 which is closed at its opposite end by a '20 cap l4., The-cap I4 is connected by means of a strap or the like. l5 to the head 3 for supporting the opposite end of the handle. Preferably the bracket I2 is provided with a bore or passage l6 communicating with the tube 4 in order that the 25 handle may serve as additional storage space for compressed air or other operating fluid.

The head 2 is formed with a lubricant pump cylinder l1 having an inlet port l8 communicating with the lubricant chamber 6 and an out- 30 let l9 controlled by a spring pressed check valve 2|. A fluid motor cylinder 22 is formed in the r head 2 co-axially with the cylinder l1 and interconnected pistons 23 and 24 are slidable in said cylinders respectively. A compression spring 25 is preferably mounted in the cylinder 22' for urging. the pistons to their lowermost positionas shown in Figure 1.

' Air is supplied to the cylinder 22 from the storage chamber -1 and handle l3 through a passage 26 communicating with the tube 4 and the bore 16. For controlling the supply of air to the motor the head 2 is formed with an exhaust valve chamber 21 and an inlet valve chamber 28 containing spring pressed exhaust and inlet check valves 29 and 3| respectively- The exhaust valve 29 seats adjacent the end of the chamber 21 i (1 controls communication between this cham er and a chamber 32 having an atmospheric vent 33. The inlet valve 3| seats on the lower end of a valve body 34 which has a coaxial bore in which a bin, is slidably mounted and a sloping bore 36 which communicates with the valve chamber 21 through a'circumferential groove 30 and a cross-bore 31. It will be noted that the upper end of the rod 35 extends into the chamber 32. The

valve chamber 21 is connected to the lower end of the cylinder 22 below the piston 24 by means of a bore 33.

The valves 29 and 3| are controlled by a lever 39 pivoted intermediate its ends in the chamber of its pivot and is provided with a compression spring 42 adapted to move it into a position to open the valve 29 as shown in Figure 3. The position of the lever 39 is controlled by means of a rod 43 extending into the chamber 32 and secured to a piston 44 which is slidably mountedin a cylinder formed in the head 2. A compression spring 45 is mounted in the cylin-, der 45 and urges the piston 44 and rod 43 upwardly therein as shown in Figure 3. A second compression spring 41 which is heavier than the spring 45 is mounted in the cylinder 45 above the piston 44 and is confined at its upper end by a plunger 49 slidably mounted in the cylinder 45. The plunger 49 may be controlled by a lever 49 pivoted on the head 2 and having a thumb piece lying adjacent the end of the handle l3. The cylinder 45 connected by means of a transverse bore 5| to the central portion of the cylinder 22.

Assuming that the lubricant chamber 5 contains a charge of lubricant and that the air chamber 1 and handle I 3 are filled with a charge of compressed air, the device may be operated by depressing the lever-49 to lower the piston 44 and pin 43 through the action of the spring 41. As the pin 43 moves downwardly it engages the lever '39 and rocks it about its pivot into the position shown in Figure 4 in which the finger 4| is moved out of contact with the exhaust valve 29 to permit it-to close under the influence of its spring and the rod 35 is moved downwardly to open the inlet valve 3|. At this time air may flow through the passage 25 past the valve 3| and through the passages 35, 39, 31, and 33 into the cylinder 22. The pistons 23 and .24 will be raised due to the action of the air on the lower end of the piston 24,

the piston 23 forcing lubricant out of the cylinder |1 past the check valve 2| and through the discharge outlet |9.- As the piston 24 travels up-.

wardly in the cylinder 22 "its lower edge will uncover the bore 5| permitting air under pressure to flow into the lower end of the cylinder 45 below. the piston '44. The force exerted by this air on the piston 44, together with the force of the spring 45, will raise the piston 44 against the spring 41. permitting the lever 39 to rock back into the position of Figure 3 under the influence of the spring 42.- At this time theinlet valve 3| will be closed and the exhaust valve 29 will be openso that air in the cylinder 22 can flow back through passage 33 past valve 29 into chamber 32 and out the vent 33 to atmosphere; a I

The spring 25 will then lowerthe pistons 24 and 23 to the position of Figure 1 at which time the bore 5| will be uncovered above the piston 24 and air'in the cylinder 45 can exhaust through the-bore 5| and out a suitable vent 52- to atmosphere. Since the force below the piston 44 is thus reduced, the spring 41 will again overpower the spring 45 and movetheparts into the position of Figure 4 and the cycle will be repeated.

If it is desired to operate the dispenser to dis-- pense only a single charge of lubricant, the lever 49 may be depressed further, placing suilicient force on the spring 41 and piston 44 so that air pressure acting below the piston 44 as described will be designated by the same reference characters. In the modification of Figures 7 to 10 the air inlet valve 9 is secured to the head 2 rather than to the cap 3 and communicates directly with the tube 4. Also in this form'the handle I3 is 'not utilized as an additional air storage space,

but is merely bolted to the head 2 and is provided with a strap l5 encircling. the reservoir The lubricant chamber 5 of Figures '1 to 10 communicates with the cylinder |1 through a passage 53 controlled by'a spring-pressed check valve 54. 'I'he check valve 54 is adapted to be opened by a pin 55 slidably mounted in the head 2. Both the valve 54 and the lever 39 are controlled by a solid plunger 55 slidably mounted in the cylinder 45. The plunger 55 has a reduced ex-'- tension 51 extending into the chamber 32 and engaging the lever 39 to rock it about its pivot, a spring 59 being provided to urge the plunger 55 'upwardly. The plunger 55 is provided with a cam portion 59 adapted to engage and move the pin 55. It will be noted that in the modification of Figures 7 to 10 an appreciable amount of lost motion is provided between the rod 35 and the inlet check valve 3|.

In operation of this modification the lever49 is first moved downwardly a suflicient amount to take up the lost motion between the rod 35 and valve 3|.' During this movement the cam portion 59 moves the rod 55 inwardly to open the valve 54 and lubricant will be forced from the chamber 5 past the valve 54 and through the passage 53 into the cylinder H by the action of the compressed air in the chamber 1 on thepiston 5. If this pressure is suificient to force'lubricant past the outlet check valve 2| and to the point to be lubricated, no further operation is necessary. However, if a higher pressure is necessary or desirable, the lever 49 may be depressed further to open the valve 3| and.permit the valve .29 toclose. At this time air will be admitted to I the lower portion of the cylinder 22 to operate the pistons 23 and 24 and dispense lubricant from the cylinder l1 under high pressure.

After the piston 24 has moved upwardly sum- 'ciently for its lower edge to clear the passage 5|, air under pressure will flow through the passage 5| into the cylinder 45 below the'plunger 55.

This creates an upward force on the plunger 53 "reacting on the lever 49 and if this force is sumcient to overcome the applied force on the lever 49 the plunger 55 will move upwardly into the a position of Figure 9 at which time the inlet valve 3| will be closed and the exhaust valve 29 will be op'en'. Thus the air below the piston 24 will be exhausted through the chamber 32 and the atmospherlcvent 33 and the pistons 23 and 24 will return to their lower position shown in Figure 9. In this position, the cylinder'45 is vented to'atmosphere through the passage 5| and the vent.

52 and if the force is still applied to lever 49, it will again lower the plunger 55 to open the inlet valve 3| and close the exhaust va'ive'29. In this way a sem automatic operation isjjproduced de- 75 plunger 56 under the influence of air pressure act-' 5 ing thereon. It will be apparent that a single 25 lubricant outlet 18 shot operation may be produced by applying a greater force on the lever 49 which is sufficient to hold the plunger 56 down against the air pressure action on the lower end thereof.

Figures 11 to 13 illustrate a further modified arrangement in which adifierent type valve is employed and in which the parts are arranged differently. In this modification a cylindrical lubricant reservoir 6| is closed at one end by a 5 head 62 and at its opposite end by a cap 63. The head 62 supports 'a tube 64 extending axially into the reservoir and a piston 65 is slidably mounted on the tube64 and divides the reservoir 6I- into a lubricant chamber 66 and an air chamber 61.

The head 62 is formed with a lubricant cylinder 68 above and parallel with the reservoir 6| and a passage 69 connects the grease chamber 66 to the inner end of the cylinder 68. The

outer end of the cylinder 68 is provided with a controlled by a spring pressed check value 1|. Coaxial with the cylinder 18 the head 62 is formed with a motor cylinder 12 and a pair of interconnected pistons 13 and 14 are slidably mounted in said cylinders respec tively, a suitable spring 15 being arranged in the cylinder 12 to urge the pistons inwardly or to the left as seen in Figure 11.

An air valve cylinder. 16 is formed in the head 62 and a grease valve cylinder 11 is formed .coaxially therewith. A spool type valve 18 is slidably mounted in the cylinder 16-and has an extension I9 projecting outwardly therefrom and an extension 8| projecting into the cylinder 11.

The extension 8| is formed with an annular groove or reduced portion 9| for a purpose to appear later. The valve cylinder'16 is connected intermediate its ends to the tube 64 and air chamber 61 by means of a passage 82 and has an exhaust opening 83 in its upper portion. Between the exhaust opening 83 and the passage 82 the valve cylinder I6 is connected to the end of the cylinder 12 back of the piston 14 by means of a passage 84 (Figure 13) and a further passage 85 connects the central portion of cylinder 16. A lever 86 is pivoted on the head 62 and engages the extension 19 of the valve to control the position thereof.

The outer end of the cylinder 12 is closed by means of the end of a handle 81 whlch is bolted to the cylinder 12 and has an extension 88 secured to the cap '63 to support thehandle. The free end of the lever 86 lies adjacent the handle 81 in a position where it may conveniently be engaged by the operators thumb.

Assuming that the lubricant chamber 66 is charged with lubricant and the air chamber 61 is filled with compressed air, the device may be operated by pressing downwardly on the lever 86 to lower the valve I8. As best seen in Figure 13 the exhaust opening 83 will then be covered and the air passage 82 and the passage 84 .will be in communication around the reduced portion of the valve. Consequently,- air will'flow from the passage 82 into the end of the cylinder 12 to urge the piston 14 forwardly therein. This operation will force the piston 13 through the cylinder 68 to dispense lubricant therefrom through the outlet 16 under high pressure. As

the cylinder" to the lower portion of the valve 9 the piston I4 travels forwardly in the cylinder the lever 86 thereon and if the force of the air I is suflicient to overcome the applied force on the lever 86, the valve will move upwardly into.

the position of Figure 11 in which the exhaust port 83 and the passage 84 are in communication around the reduced portion of the valve.

Thus, air will be exhausted from the cylinder 12 and the pistons 13 and 14 will be retracted under the influence of the spring 15. When the pistons reach the position shown in Figure 11 air in the valve chamber 14 will be vented through the passage 85 and an atmospheric vent 89 formed in the cylinder 12. If force is still applied to the lever 86, the valve will again be moved downwardly and the operation will be repeated.

It-will be obvious that if a force is applied to the lever 86 in excess of the reaction thereon created by air acting on the valve 18, the valve will not return to its exhaust position and only a single charge of lubricant will be dispensed.

It will be noted that when the valve is in its exhaust position, the extension 8| closes the passage 69 to prevent the flow of lubricant from the lubricant chamber 66 to the cylinder 68. The extension 8| is provided with a reduced portion 9| which will register with the passage 69 when the valve is moved to its inlet position to pressure in the chamber 61 acting on the piston g 65 and insures that no lubricant will be discharged except when the lever 86 is moved.

While several embodiments of theinvention have been illustrated and described in detail,

it will be apparent that many changes may be made therein. Consequently it is not intended that the invention shall be limited to the embodiments shown or otherwise than-by .the terms of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A lubricating device comprising, a reservoir, a tube extending axially into said reservoir, a piston slidable on said tube and dividing the reservoir into a lubricant chamber and an air chamber for storing air under pressure, said tube communicating with the air chamber, a pump connected to the lubricant chamber to receive lubricant therefrom, operating means for the pump connected to said tube to be actuated by said stored air and a manually operable valve controlling said connection to control the oper- Y ating means. 6

2. A lubricating. device comprising, a reservoir, a tube extending axially into said reservoir, a piston slidable on said tube and dividing the reservoir into a lubricant chamber and an air chammunicating with the air chamber, a hollow handle connected to said reservoir and communicating with said tube to provide additional air storage space, a pump connected to the lubricant chamber to receive lubricant therefrom, and op-' a tube secured to said power 'means and exher for storing air under pressure, said tube comber'communicating with the tube, and a valved air fltting communicating with the air chamber for detachable connection to a source of air under pressure to flll the air chamber and a valve for controlling the supply of air' from the'air storage chamber to the power means.

4. A lubricating device comprising, a body forming a pair of coaxial cylinders, a pair of connect-.

ed pistons operating in said cylinders, one of said cylinders and pistons forming a lubricant pump and the other forming a fluid motor for operating said pump, a tube, connected to said body and lying substantially parallel to the cylinder axes and communicating with said fluid motor, a piston slidably mounted on said tube, a cylindrical reservoir surrounding the tube and piston and divided by the piston into a lubricant chamber communicating with the pump and an air storage chamber communicating with the motor, and means for controlling operation of the motor including an operating member lying adjacent saidbody. I

5. A lubricating device comprising, a pump, a fluid motor for operating the pump, a portable body secured to the pump and formed with a lubricant reservoir communicating with the pump and an air storage chamber to receive and store a charge .of compressed air for operating said motor whereby the device forms a portable, selfcontained unit, a va'lved fitting communicating with the air storage chamber through which compressed air may be supplied to the chamber, and

a valve for controlling the supply of air from the air storage chamber to the motor.

6. In a lubricating device including a pump and a fluid motor for operating said pump, control means for the motor comprising, a check valve controlling the supply of air to the motor, a

check valve controlling exhaust of air from the motor, a pivoted lever having means engageable with said valves to open one valve when the lever is rocked in one directidnand the other valve when the lever is rocked in the other direction, a plunger engageable with said lever to urge it in a direction to open the supply valve, and means for admitting fluid pressure to said plunger to urge it in the opposite direction.

7. Ina lubricating device including a pump and a fluid motor for operating-said pump, control means for the motor comprising, a check valve controlling the supply of air to the motor, a check valve controlling exhaust of air from the motor, a pivoted lever having means engageable with said valves to open one valve when the lever is rocked in one direction and the other valve when the lever is 'rocked in the other direction, a plunger engageable with said lever to urge it in a direction to open the supply valve, resilient means to urge the plunger in said direction to open the supply valve, and means for admitting fluid pressure to the plunger to urge it in the opposite direction.

8. 111 a lubricating device including a fluid motor, control means for the motor comprising, valve fluid motor for operating the pump, a lubricant reservoir, a valve controlling communication ofthelubricant reservoir with the pump, an air storage chamber, a valve for controlling communication of the air storage chamber with the motor, a plunger to open both of said valves upon movement in one direction, and means to admit fluid pressure from the motor to said plunger to urge the plunger in the opposite direction.

V ADIEL Y. DODGE.

HARRY R. 'I'EAR.

9. -A lubricating device comprising, a pump, a 

